Genelec speakers please restaurant diners – and neighbours

More than a dozen Genelec 4000 series loudspeakers have been installed throughout Rico, a recently refurbished restaurant in Linköping, in southern Sweden. These have brought audio clarity to accompany the restaurant’s delicious food and stylish surroundings.

With sound playing a key role in creating an inviting restaurant atmosphere, it was important to establish an environment at just the right audio levels: low enough not to disturb conversations, while still keeping the environment lively and energised.

Stockholm-based system integrator Watt & Volt took care of the audio installation and sales. Opting for Genelec loudspeakers, Carl Ingler of Watt and Volt said: “We were looking for a solution which delivered high-quality sound with good looks, low maintenance and high reliability. This was of particular importance in this install, because the speakers are used for large parts of the day, on every day of the week. We’ve been delighted with the performance of the 4000 series, which deliver great range across the restaurant at low, medium and high levels.”

The Genelec 4020, 4030 and 4040 models used at Rico are compact and powerful two-way active loudspeakers; they contain an integrated amplification unit comprising an active electronic crossover, overload protection circuitry and two power amplifiers, one for each driver. They do not need external amplifiers.

Spacious dining areas can often prove to be tricky acoustic environments, and it can be difficult to ensure an even distribution of sound.To combat this, the firm specified a generous quantity of speakers so that they could be run at low volume during lunch and dinner time. Nine Genelec 4020 have been installed in the main restaurant, along with two 4030 models in the VIP room and two 4040 in the bar.

Installing more speakers has led to significantly improved sound, with wider dispersion. It has also meant that when playing at high SPL, noise pollution to Rico’s neighbours was reduced. DIP switches were also used to make precise local adjustments throughout the restaurant without having to add more DSP power.

Processing is via a Yamaha MTX3 matrix, while Yamaha control panels (DCP4v4s in the bar, DCP1v4s in the VIP room) allow local control of input and level. Kramer WXL-2F XLR wall plates bring the signals into the bar and VIP room.

All of the staff have been delighted with the overall sound quality, being particularly impressed with how much bass the system can handle, with no additional subwoofers installed.